The Batman Director Matt Reeves Reveals the Surprising Inspiration for Colin Farrell’s Penguin

After many pandemic-related delays, The Batman is less than two months away from finally hitting theaters. The long-awaited film was helmed by Matt Reeves and will see Robert Pattinson in the titular role. The movie will also star Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and Colin Farrell as Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobblepot. During a recent interview with MovieMaker, Farrell revealed that his version of the Penguin was actually inspired Fredo, the character played by John Cazale in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. 

“There’s a certain amount of brokenness in Oz that, I think, as a reference, not for me performance-wise, but just emotionally, as a reference for Matt – I think Fredo from The Godfather was a bit of a reference,” Farrell explained. 

“Matt was just talking about somebody who had very real and very lofty ambitions, but never really had the opportunity or the chance to explore them, and was maybe looked upon as someone who was handicapped, whether it was psychologically, intellectually – Fredo was frowned upon as less than the other brothers, and maybe Oz as well, in his life, was looked upon as somebody who wasn’t capable,” Farrell added. “And so that’s one of the things that fuels Oz.”

Back in 2020, Farrell revealed that the Penguin doesn’t play a huge role in The Batman. However,  it was announced last month that Farrell is officially on board to star in and executive produce an HBO Max spinoff of The Batman, which is expected to revolve around his portrayal of the Penguin. The series was first announced to be in early development earlier last year, but it was unclear at the time if Farrell would be involved. The series will follow Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld, with Agents of SHIELD and Impulse alum Lauren LeFranc attached to write the script. Reeves will executive produce alongside The Batman producer, Dylan Clark.

Last month, Danny DeVito, who played the Penguin in Batman Returns, expressed his excitement for Farrell to take on the role.

“I love Colin Farrell. He’s one of my favorite actors,” DeVito said in an interview with Forbes. “I can’t wait!”

Are you excited for Colin Farrell to play the Penguin? How do you feel about the Fredo comparison? Tell us in the comments! 

The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022.